Cuts to the Navy will leave Britain defenceless and ‘ripe for the taking’, the Falklands War veteran Sir Sandy Woodward has warned.

In a rare intervention, Sir Sandy, who led the Naval task force that helped retake the Falkland Islands in 1982, said Britain would be left unable to defend its interests around the world unless cuts to the fleet are reversed.

And he warned that Britain could even lose its permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council if it is seen to be unable to defend overseas territories like the Falklands.

Fears: Falklands veteran Sir Sandy Woodward said Britain would be left
unable to defend its interests around the world and could even lose its
permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council

The warning came in a letter to the Commons defence committee, which is investigating Britain’s future defence needs.

It is jointly signed by a number of other senior figures from the Falklands era, including Brigadier Julian Thompson, who led 3 Commando Brigade Royal Marines during the conflict, and Admiral Sir Michael Layard, who commanded the requisitioned troop ship Atlantic Conveyor which was sunk by Exocet missiles.

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Calling for a change of course, they said defence cuts had already reduced Britain’s standing in the world, with potentially dangerous consequences for Britain’s trade and energy interests.

They added: ‘It is evident that the UK is rapidly becoming a different nation by default and one less likely to be respected by friends and foes alike.

‘Our strategic reach has been severely curtailed because we will no longer be able to support the United States militarily in the key way which the UK has done for decades.

‘This might put in doubt our position as a permanent member of the UN Security Council if we become unable even to protect our own dependent territories.’

Sir Sandy singled out the ‘debacle’ surrounding the replacement of Britain’s aircraft carriers, which will leave the fleet with no operational capacity for a decade.

Following a U-turn last year, ministers announced the new carriers Queen Elizabeth and Prince of Wales will be equipped with 12 jump jet F-35B Joint Strike Fighters, at a cost of £500 million each. But they will not be ready to fly until 2020, a decade after Harrier jump jets went out of service.

Following a U-turn last year, ministers announced the new carriers Queen Elizabeth and Prince of Wales will be equipped with 12 jump jet F-35B Joint Strike Fighters, at a cost of £500 million each

Even when they are ready, Sir Sandy said the new jets ‘will not provide Britain with a full carrier strike capability’. And he warned their use would make it impossible to deploy other key aircraft, such as air-to-air refuelling and airborne early warnings, from the carriers.

The letter also casts doubt on Government proposals to rely on military capability provided by allies, such as France.

‘The altogether unreliable response of some NATO partners in Afghanistan ought to have forewarned defence planners of this delusion,’ it said.

‘Further proof of this unjustifiable reliance is the possible withdrawal of the French carrier from service in the on-going attempts to save the French economy.

This completely destroys the defence planning assumption that the French carrier will be a credible alternative for UK power projection in the absence of Royal Navy sea-air capabilities.’

Sir Sandy accused ministers of ‘paying lip service’ to the need to maintain credible defences, adding: ‘This will not impress or deter those that would do us harm. Failing to attend to this issue of great National import is tantamount to saying to our enemies that “We are ripe for the taking!”’

‘The altogether unreliable response of some NATO partners in Afghanistan ought to have forewarned defence planners of this delusion,’ it said.

‘Further proof of this unjustifiable reliance is the possible withdrawal of the French carrier from service in the on-going attempts to save the

French economy. This completely destroys the defence planning assumption that the French carrier will be a credible alternative for UK power projection in the absence of Royal Navy sea-air capabilities.’

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Falklands chief: Navy cuts will leave UK 'ripe for the taking' unless they are reversed